York land deal has us cautiously optimistic

Wednesday

Dec 30, 2009 at 2:00 AM

With our fingers crossed, we congratulate the Board of Selectmen for negotiating a land deal that could bring the town a much-needed new police headquarters and a new access road that would link Route 1 to York Beach Square.

With our fingers crossed, we congratulate the Board of Selectmen for negotiating a land deal that could bring the town a much-needed new police headquarters and a new access road that would link Route 1 to York Beach Square.

Selectmen earlier this month announced they had entered into a purchase-and-sale agreement to buy 41 acres of land at 414 Ridge Road in York Beach. The land is situated between Route 1 and Railroad Avenue, adjacent to York's Wild Kingdom zoo and amusement park, and is part of a larger, 200-acre undeveloped tract that is now the focus of a Planning Board effort to literally and figuratively map out the future of York Beach. That being the case, it would be ideal if the town owned the land in question.

The 41-acre parcel has a 500-foot right of way on Ridge Road and its price tag is $1.5 million, money that is expected to come out of $2 million in funds voters approved in May for the acquisition of land to build a new police headquarters. Selectmen are scheduled to close on the land Jan. 28; the property is currently owned by the Horn family, whose brothers also deserve kudos for working with the town to help bring this long-sought-for land purchase one step closer to reality.

But it's yet not a done deal. The closing is contingent upon many factors, as the property includes wetlands and vernal pools that may render much of it unsuitable for building. In the next couple of weeks, engineers will assess to what degree construction is possible for the site.

The closing also is contingent upon the town's ability to get two rights of way in order to build the access road into the beach, and on the ability of selectmen to resolve parking issues for the site.

Here's hoping all the stars align on this project. For decades, York officials have eyed land along the Route 1 corridor as a prime spot for a new road into the beach. For at least the last decade, as the physical condition of the current police station has deteriorated, voters and officials alike have recognized the need for a new police station. The current headquarters — housed inside a former four-room schoolhouse built in 1904 — has many of the physical limitations one would expect of a structure built at the turn of the 20th century. The building is overcrowded, drafty and plagued by plumbing and heating problems. In short, police and the public deserve far better.

If the property is deemed appropriate for building and officials resolve all outstanding issues, voters could be asked in May to allocate $200,000 for site work. But, economic times being what they are, residents likely won't be asked to fund construction of a new police station until May 2011, according to Town Manager Rob Yandow.

York has many capital needs, with a new police headquarters and a new Town Hall arguably topping the list. What a great gift it would be in the coming decade if we could cross the need for a new police station off the list.

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